A White Christmas
by Shiice
Summary: Mello working in a toy shop, and Near is a customer. MeroNia 2016 Secret Santa Gift exchange.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note._

 _\- Ahh, sorry that I wasn't able to get this done on time, ah gosh I feel really bad about that. ._

* * *

The skies are dark and cloudless today, causing the blonde employee to wrap his arms around his torso. This kind of weather always gets him pissy- wait, scratch that. The weather really doesn't have much to do with his mood, rather he's just upset about the situation he got himself into now.

It's about 23:00 and he's freezing, slumped over the checkout counter with a scowl decorating his features. Where does he want to be? -Probably at his apartment, escaping the cold by drinking sickeningly sweet hot chocolate by the mouthfuls, probably watching shitty television programming under a mountain of blankets.

Though where is he now? Working his goddamned shift at this stupid fucking toy store. Well - not just a toy store. More like, a kid's store. Some of the shit available for purchase were toys, however some of the other items included were assorted candies and sweets, electronic games and movies - basically anything an average kid would get worked up with glee over.

Yep, that's where he is this late at night. It's almost embarrassing. He's 15, for God's sake.

Mello doesn't even know why the store is open at this hour. What does the owner even think is going to happen? Some parent is going to come by at midnight - think to themselves that they definitely should buy their bratty kid Christmas presents at this hour? Yeah right, nice planning.

He's drifted from his thoughts once he hear's the chime of a bell from the front of the shop, signaling him that someone else had entered.

The blonde expects to see some type of drunk that can't even accurately remember his own name - so he's surprised to see when he looks up, a sight that looks nothing like that.

There's this small person- hell, he looks like a kid that ran out of his guardians's house while they were asleep. Hell, it isn't much of a reach either- because he's pretty sure that those are pajamas that the kid is wearing. _And his hair's fucking white? Are you kidding me? Talk about trying to get into the "white Christmas" spirit._

The small person walks up to Mello. "Hello," he says very casually. "I'm looking for a toy." Mello twitches and replies.

"Well, isn't that something? You're in a toy store too, imagine that." Talk about _captain-fucking-obvious._

The pale kid takes no further initiative to further the talk, which Mello's thankful for. Because to be completely honest, this person is just annoying him to his core. This kid's essentially the reason why Mello's stuck working at this ungodly hour. _Fan-fucking-tastic, really._

The kid walks away, and Mello assumes that he's now walking around to search for what he came for. Or, anything toy related possibly. The customer really wasn't too specific at all when saying that he wanted a toy.

Minutes crawl by, and the blonde's doing anything he can to keep from falling asleep, or at least to keep his mind mildly active. He's studying the creases of the lines in his palms - essentially the equivalent of staring at a wall it's so boring. He almost forgets that there's somebody else at the shop because the white haired person had been so quiet.

Mello entertains the idea in his head that the kid really did leave - maybe through some door in the back of the store. Wait, no. _That wouldn't work, because that door's always locked. Never mind, then._

He only lets the idea go when he hears the quiet rustling sound of cardboard boxes in the distance, which tells him that they other's definitely still in the store. Oh well, so much for that little mystery. It turns out, however, that the rustling noise was the sound of the small one trying to walk back to the front counter with his desired purchases, - 2 small boxes of what looks to be the same toy robot, 3 packages of your standard Bicycle playing cards, and a single bar of chocolate. Mello's amused by watching the show of the kid trying to walk normally to the counter.

The blonde raises an eyebrow when the other makes the trip with some effort. "So, that's it then?" The white haired one nods as Mello starts to ring everything up. "Okay then," he starts. "That'll be… £27.95". The other is already swiping a card through the machine and it accepts.

Picking up his items after confirming his purchase, he makes a turn to leave. Mello's eyes almost travel back to whichever thing he can to occupy his mind for the time being, but is stopped short when he notices that the kid left his purchased chocolate bar on the counter.

"Hey, you left something here." Mello picks it up and moves to give it back to him, though the other shakes his head.

"Actually, that was intentional."

Mello freezes, confused. Before he is able to say anything in retaliation, the other continues.

"Because that chocolate bar is for you."

"What..?"

The other sighs. "The employee wastebasket near you is filled with chocolate wrappers," he mumbles. "I only assumed."

Mello's not in the slightest mad at this outcome, although he's surprised just how observant this person is. He thinks that even though this person looks like some type of kid - _not an average one, because that hair_ \- although a kid nonetheless, maybe isn't one. That he might be older than that - mentally or otherwise.

He though dismisses the thought when he remembers that this person's in a toy store of all things, for crying out loud. Nevertheless, he's grateful to whoever this is.

"Then hey, thanks. I guess." He's hesitant in saying the words, not quite used to expressing gratitude in his everyday life. However, the other seems to get it.

Next to the door now, the other smirks softly, almost inaudibly. "Of course, you seemed like you needed it." Saying not another word after that, he opens the door once again with a chime and leaves the premises.

Mello doesn't see the person again until a few months later in a brief passing out in the main city, although only by coincidence. They say nothing this time around, though both of them remember that one night in the toy shop. Mello had wanted to say something that time around, maybe if only to know more about that mysterious person, though he supposed that time wasn't on his side.

 _'Maybe some other time, I'll run into him again,_ ' he tells himself, due to the fact that he still can't forget the only time that they actually interacted. It's still in his mind, - now he wants to explore the person behind his memories.

One day, he does.


End file.
